REPORT OF BVA 61ST NATIONAL CONVENTION BYLAWS AND RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

Resolutions 1-06 through 4-06
Resolutions 5-06 through 8-06
Resolutions 9-06 through 11-06
Resolutions 12-06 through 17-06
Resolutions 18-06 through 23-06
Resolutions 24-06 through 27-06
Resolutions 28-06 through 32-06
Resolutions 33-06 through 36-06
Resolutions 37-06 through 41-06
Resolutions 42-06 through 44-06
Resolutions 45-06 through 47-06

RESOLUTION 42-06

WHEREAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has committed to a continuum of vision rehabilitation services, AND

WHEREAS, these services will include programs such as VICTORS, VISOR, VA and community based low vision clinics and computer access training programs, AND,

WHEREAS, the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) feels there is need for standardization and quality assurance in services provided, AND

WHEREAS, accreditation of programs will assist the VA and veterans in identifying qualified programs, AND

WHEREAS, the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving People with Blindness or Visual Impairment (NAC) is an internationally recognized accreditation body solely dedicated to service standards for vision rehabilitation, AND

WHEREAS, consumer involvement and input is a core value of the National Accreditation Council (NAC) and is addressed throughout the NAC Standards as well as the self-assessment process used by organizations seeking accreditation, AND

WHEREAS, BVA feels strongly in the involvement of consumers in any accreditation process, AND

WHEREAS, the NAC has a long history of providing accreditation to agencies, schools and programs serving the blind and visually impaired, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association, in convention assembled in Buffalo, New York, on this 19th day of August 2006 strongly recommends to the VA that low vision clinics and computer training programs be required to undergo accreditation, AND BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED, that VA recognize and include NAC as a provider of accreditation for any organization and service serving blind and low vision veterans in order to ensure standardization, quality of services and consumer confidence.

RESOLUTION 43-06

WHEREAS, currently the Department of Veterans Affairs has 13,109 veterans who are service connected for blindness in one eye, this includes over 90 service members from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan who have lost vision in one eye, AND

WHEREAS, the prevalence of visual impairments of those having been blinded in one eye, of eventually having loss of vision in the non-service connected eye is 5 percent according to research of all visually-impaired persons in the United States, and over the age of 65 this percentage rises to 15 percent, AND

WHEREAS, currently Title 38 U.S.C. Paired Organ statute PL 87-610 enacted on August 12, 1962, does not define legal blindness for the determination of blindness in a non-service connected eye for a veteran who is blinded in one eye due to service connected injury, so VBA Regulation, Section 1160, is utilized if a veteran incurs loss of vision in the non-service connected eye. Regulation 1160, paragraph “L” defines (5/200) as measurement of acuity for “blindness” for an increase in compensation for service connection, AND

WHEREAS, legal blindness as defined in all 50 states, and by the Social Security Disability Administration is vision loss of (20/200 or less, or (20 degree’s peripheral fields or less loss of central field of vision), so by the standards of Social Security Disability, these veterans would otherwise be considered legally blind, are being denied a change in their VA disability rating because of having to meet a higher standard of blindness used in VBA Regulation, Section 1160, paragraph L, AND

WHEREAS, under current law, veterans are not covered by the current Paired Organ statute with the legal definition of blindness, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association, in convention assembled in Buffalo, New York on this 19th day of August 2006, supports legislation that would amend Title 38 Paired Organ statute to use the legal definition of blindness of 20/200 or less, for the determination of blindness benefits under this section of the statute for Paired Organ.

RESOLUTION 44-06

WHEREAS, The Project Healthcare Effectiveness through Resource Optimization (“Project HERO”) Demonstration Project (Formerly Referred to As Contract Care Coordination) was directed by congress for the VA to Formulate (contract care coordination) demonstration objectives in collaboration with industry and academia.  [Conference Report 109-305 states in part: “The Secretary will report objectives to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress within 90 days of the enactment of this Act.”], AND

WHEREAS, Conference Report 109-305 supports “expeditious action by the Department” to employ care strategies proven in public and private sectors, to focus on cost-effective purchasing of care, and to achieve a competitive award by the end of Calendar Year 2006.  As directed, at least three object-oriented demonstrations must be established to be comprehensive in scope, serving a substantial patient population, AND

WHEREAS, the purpose of this Project HERO as briefed to the VSO stakeholders on March 2, 2006, “Was to increase the efficiency of VHA processes associated with the current purchasing of care from outside commercial sources, and to reduce rate of cost growth associated with purchased care, and implement VA management systems and processes that foster quality and patient safety to make contracted providers virtual, and increase enrollee veteran satisfaction with contracted care, and move towards integration of VA’s electronic health record with any managed contracted care, and maintain university academic affiliations”, AND

WHEREAS, Project HERO has evolved to now include four VISN Networks, (VISN 8; Florida, VISN 16; Oklahoma, TX, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi, VISN 20; Washington and Oregon, and VISN 23; Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota), with contracts allowing for community providers to “expand services” outside these VISN geographic locations, AND

WHEREAS, the VISN directors will enter into private provider community contracts for health care services, with the Project HERO governing body assisting to identify solutions that best meet VISN goals, AND

WHEREAS, the quality, quantity, and costs of services are directly dependent upon the motivation of these private contractors to provide the needed services, AND

WHEREAS, it is understood that funding for all contracted services must come from the local medical center budgets, and that the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office has not been provided additional appropriations for these Project HERO private contracts, BVA is deeply concerned over contracting costs of Project HERO impact and results on such VA specialized programs as: PTSD, Blind Rehabilitative programs, day treatment centers, Spinal Cord Injury centers, prosthetics, etc., AND

WHEREAS, BVA is concerned that diversion of more health care funds into Project HERO will further add to the erosion of the discretionary funding that VHA has from Congress and OMB, also that contracted care under Project HERO will result in new veteran enrollees and current veterans being “placed into selected managed care private provider contracts”, and the total erosion this will have on current university academic training affiliation agreements, and VA research, THEREFORE BE IT

RESOLVED, that the Blinded Veterans Association in convention assembled in Buffalo, New York on this 19th day of August 2006, that we are opposed to contracted health care services as proposed in Project HERO demonstration project that force a veteran into private contracted care, that does not ensure highly qualified, credentialed, and licensed providers, that does not allow for movement of a veteran from outpatient services, into VA diagnostic services, VA pharmacy and VA prosthetics services, and maintains Veterans Health Administration specialized programs that are essential for the complex medical problems of veterans, and that this Project HERO will cause fragmented costly services for veterans, damage current research, and the process of this has not involved strong congressional oversight, transparency, and effective measures to protect veterans from a private managed care industry where often revenue streams are more important than consumer protections and high quality care.

Resolutions 45-06 through 47-06 >